Auto detect if flash is installed

Hi Paul,

This problem is easy to solve, and you can do it in a number of ways. The
most convenient way is to use the HTML manipulation facility in Flash's Publish
Settings dialogue box. I am assuming that you are using Flash version 5 or
higher, as this facility is not available in earlier versions, and that you
arn't just seeking a way of doing this in Dreamweaver. So, assuming that this
is the case.....

Open the Publish settings dialogue box in Flash, with the fla that you wish to
publish selected. Select HTML in the formats tab, this will enable the HTML
tab and thereby give you access to the HTML settings.

I assume you want a straight forward Flash template, so ignore the template
option, leave it set to default. The detect Flash version settings is all you
need to set-up to allow auto detection of the users' Flash version and
subsequent seemless redirection to an HTML alternate, if their Flash version is
not adequate.

Flash can/will create the alternate HTML redirected page for you and it
basically tells the user that they need Flash version ? and invites them to
download the latest version via an image or text link. You will probably want
to style and amend this to meet your own requirements and match the 'look and
feel' of your own site. That can be achieved easily in Dreamweaver.

Click on the Settings button and set the version that you want the file to
detect. Dimensions, Playback, Quality and other options are also found here.
They should be fairly easy to follow. Post another question if these are
proving difficult. However, there is a good help facility in Flash that
explains how these options effect your movie.

This is all you need to get the functionality that you are after. You can use
JavaScript to achieve the same detection and redirection if you don't want to
use Flash's built-in options. A simple Google search should give you links to
JavaScript code that can do this for you.

Nick
 >> Stay informed about: Auto detect if flash is installed 

What I would do is this:
On the page that has the option, each button have a link to the site address for each one. Or is this all on one site? Wait... even so, that would work too...
 >> Stay informed about: Auto detect if flash is installed 

Just in case you want to do your own (never trust the wizards):
The trick behind all this is to use the technology you want to check to
redirect the user to another page.
If you are redirected, the technologie is installed, if not, well, the
technologie is not installed.

So for Flash you could create a HTML-page index.html that says "Trying
to redirect. If you are not redoirected, you don't have Flash
installed". You also embed a Flash movie into this site, that redirects
to another page (say index2.html), where your final Flash movie lies. If
Flash is not installed, you are not redirected.
 >> Stay informed about: Auto detect if flash is installed